Steering-gear attachment for agricultural machines.



APPLICATION IIL'ED MAR, 2, 1910.

Patented Apr. 11, 1911.

Attorneys UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM C. LORENZ, 0F ALEXANDRIA, MINNESOTA.

STEERING-GEAR ATTAGHMENT FOB AGRICULTURAL MACHINES.

Application filed March 2,

10 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM G. LORENZ, a citizen of the United States,residing at Alexandria, in the county of Douglas and State of Minnesota,have invented a new and useful Steering-Gear Attachment for AgriculturalMachines, of which the following is .a specification.

This invention relates to steering gear for threshing machines and otheragricultural machines adapted to be drawn by traction engines.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide mechanism of thischaracter utilizing a coupling pole, said pole having means whereby itcan be shifted relative to the structure to which it is connected andthus change the irection of movement of said structure.

A further object is to provide simple means for actuating the pole ortongue, said. 'means being easy to operate and durable in construction.

Wit-h these-and other objects in view the invention consists ofcertain'novel details I of construction and combinations of partshereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claim. 1

In the accompanying drawing, which is a perspective view of the device,the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference, 1 designates across beam adapted to be connected to the agricultural machine by meansof eye-bolts 2 or the like preferably located adjacent the ends of thebeam. Upper and lower metal strips 3 and 4 are secured upon the upperand lower faces of the beam 1 at the center thereof and extend forwardlyat right angles to the beam, the front end of these strips beingattached to coupling plates 5 which are, in

' turn, secured to rearwardly diverging braces 6 also attached to theupper and lower faces of the beam, these braces being connected to theend portions of said beam. Arcuate uide rails 7 extend between th stri s3 and 1 and are secured at their ends tot e braces 6, these rails alsoextending be tween the upper and lower braces. Guide" sheaves 8 arejournaled between the ends of the rails and are for the purposehereinafter set forth, A coupling pole or tongue .9 is fulcrumed, as at10, between the front end portions of the strips 3 and 4 and the rearSpecification of Letters Patent.

end .of this pole is mounted to slide between Patented Apr. 11, 1911.

1910. Serial No. 546,972.

the rails 7, it being understood that said rails are concentric with thefulcrum 10. One or more reinforcing plates 11 may be securedlongitudinally upon the pole 9 and e e-bolts 12 may be attached to thesides of t e pole adjacent the rear ends thereof. The ends of a cable 13are fastened to theseeyebolts, said cable being extended partly aroundthe sheaves 8 and being secured, at an intermediate point, to a shaft 14which is arranged vertically within the rear portions of the strips 3and 4 and is provided at its upper end with a worm gear 15. The cable isso wound upon the shaft that, when the shaft is rotated in onedirection, a portion of the cable will be paid out, while the remainingportion will be wound upon the shaft. Supports 16 are mounted on thebeam 1 and on-the strips 3 and one of the ails 7 and a shaft 17 isjournalcd upon them and carries a worm 1.8. The crank 19 may be locatedat one end of the shaft to facilitate the rotation of the worm and theresultant rotation of the gear 15 with which the worm meshes. A lockingpin 20'may he removably mounted within openings 21 in the strips 3 and 4this pin being adapted to be inserted through an opening 22 in the pole9 when said pole is brought into position between and parallel with thesaid strip a.

It is to be understood that the front end, of the pole may be connectedto a traction engine or the like, while the beam 1 is to be attached tothe machine to be drawn by the engine. hen it is desired to steer thedrawn machine, it is merely necessary to rotate the worm I8 and thiswill correspondingly rotate the gear 15. Cable 18 will therefore beshifted so as to swing the pole either to the right or to the left,according to the I direction in which the shaft 17 is rotated.

It will be seen that the structure very simple, durable and efficient,and can be readily operated.

Various changes can of course be made in the construction andarrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as defined in theappended claim.

What is claimed is A steering attachment including a cross beam, upperand lower strips extending forward at right angles to the beam andconnected thereto, coupling plates connected to the front ends of thestrips, rearwardly diverging braces connccting said plates to the upperend lower faces of the beam at the ends thereof, arcuate guide railsextending between the forwardly extending strips and secured at theirends'to the braces, guide to andadapted to be Wound upon said shaft,

said cable being extended partlyaround the 7 sheaves and secured toopposite portions of the pole, and means mounted upon the cross beam andrails for rotating the shaft, and a locking device removably mountedwithin the forwardly extending strips and inserti-' ble into engagementwith the pole to hold said pole in alinement with the strips.

WILLIAM G. LORENZ. Witnesses I JOHN A. MGCABE, A. M. HERBERT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner o 1atents,

- Washington, I). G.

